My ANZAC Story - Brooklyn Kennedy

Purpose:

The purpose of this page is to write a brief story about how your family commemorates ANZAC day and why ANZAC day is significant to you.

Instructions:

1. Rename the page and save it as My ANZAC Story - your name.
2. Think about how your family has commemorated ANZAC day and your families ANZAC History. Did any of your relative serve in the previous conflicts or wars? Plan out your ANZAC Story. Consider the 6 core questions - What, When, Who, Where, Why and How as starting points for your story.

What do you do to commemorate ANZAC day?
Who of your relatives were involved, where and when?
Why is it important to you and your family?

3. Please add images if you would like to, but check with your parents and teachers first.

My ANZAC Story - Brooklyn Kennedy

My ANZAC Story

My Family does not commemorate ANZAC day, as we do not have any close relatives that fought in any wars. We still understand that men fought for our country and we are very appreciative of that. I am hoping that one day I will be able to attend a dawn service because I have always wanted to go but sometimes we have it on the television in the background.

I do have one distant relative that was involved in the First World and Second World War. His name was Major General George Alan Vasey. He was born in Victoria, Australia and was sent to war before he graduated because of the shortage of men. He first rank was Lieutenant and his final rank was Major General. He unfortunately died in a plane crash on Machans beach, Queensland, Australia. He was one of the most renowned Major Generals in WWI and received at total of twenty-two awards including Brevet Major, Honorary Captain and Distinguished Service Order. George fought in France, at the battle of Somme. After returning from war, he married a woman named Jessie Mary Halbert, who was a community worker, and later he became an accountant. After receiving another roll to his Distinguished Service Order, George went to Port Mosby to command the 6th Division. After a month on that job, he took over the 7th Division, and then engaged on the Kokoda Trail, but in February 1944, George fell ill and was sent back to Australia. He did not get much better and he was unable to resume his duties until 1945 when he was once again given the 6th Division. On march the 5th, 1945, George flew to Papa New Guinea to take command, but unfortunately his pane crashed and killed everyone on board including him. After George died, his wife, Jessie Mary Vasey, single-handedly set up an organisation called the Australian War Widows Guild, which provides companionship to its members. It is still in Australia today and provides over 18,000 women with compassion and companionship. Jessie Mary received an OBE (Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) and a CBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) for her work. Jessie Mary Vasey unfortunately passed away on September 22, 1966.

I believe that I have learnt a lot by completing this unit of work on Anzac Day and the Anzac’s. Before this unit, I was not sure of the involvement that Australia had in World War 1 and how the landing at Gallipoli shaped us as a nation for the first time. I was never entirely sure of the involvement that my own family had in any wars, but now I now a lot and I will now be able to pass this through my family and share my knowledge. I have also learnt a lot about the war as a whole and how it was started and also who was involved.

I still believe that Anzac day is a time for remembrance and/or celebration but I know now that it is over commercialised and it needs to go back to the way it was. We have so many events that occur on Anzac day now, including the football game that is played every Anzac day and supermarkets creating slogans like the Woolworths slogan for Anzac day which was ‘fresh in our minds’, like their original slogan ‘fresh food people.’ I believe that it is disrespectful to our diggers and it needs to be a day only of remembrance and/or celebration.